When laws are broken for ethical reasons, we are seeing two opposing perceptions of right from wrong. The most difficult problem to solve is inequality in the legal system: the likelihood of someone being found guilty is strongly related to the amount of money they are able to spend on their defense; or in some countries, on bribes. Assault is the unlawful interference with the body of another person through the intentional application of force or the threat of force. Theft has taken place the prosecution must prove four elements. Murder, arguably, is the most serious of actions, and has usually been deemed as deserving of the greatest punishment. In the case of violent crime, it might also make sense to stipulate that the punishment is allowed to be comparable to the crime. If the convict tortured his victims for days before killing them, maybe there should be nothing unconstitutional about torturing him for days and then killing him! The most serious of crimes are sometimes punished with death, although what is considered to be a serious offense is subject to the views of the society in which it occurs. There are several reasons why punishment does not deter crime. The major factor is that people do not normally commit illegal acts with the intent of being caught: the fact that others have been apprehended for an offense does not mean that they will be as well. The prison system must be restructured to concentrate on two areas: rehabilitation of those who can be reintroduced into society, and protection of the public from those who cannot. Let's face it, any punishment is likely to be considered "cruel" by somebody; if it isn't, it's not punishment.

Antonio Kearney
Period 2nd World Lit.
May 6, 2008